Avengers, Meet the Nations
by KeybladeoftheElements
Summary: After a spell gone wrong, Ireland and Wales revert to babies, and grow up as Sorcha and Conri MacClaren. However, the memories return when Ghost throws a staff at Sorcha.


A young woman raced towards a cluster of rocks, her breath coming out in gaps. She heard a voice calling out behind her, but the young woman ignored it. She tore past a barrier, and gasped, "I made it."

Behind her, footsteps were heard as one of her brothers approached her.

"Treasa. You don't have to do this." He tried to reason with her, but the red-haired girl shook her head.

"You don't understand, Wales! I see them die. Every night, I have to watch them die! And I can't do a single thing to stop it!" Treasa cried, and Wales sighed.

"You're right. I don't understand. But-"

"I have to do this. My dreams- they're driving me mad." Treasa interrupted, and then raced away. Wales followed, determined to stop his sister.

"Treasa! Stop! You're making a mistake!" he cried as he chased his sister. However, he was too late, because when he caught up to her, Treasa was chanting the words to the ritual.

"No! Ire, STOP!"

His yell came too late. Ireland had chanted the last word. A burst of light followed it, and two cries were heard. The next day, a S.H.I.E.L.D agent found two babies, babies who had once been Treasa and Thomas Kirkland. Anna MacClaren, the agent, took them to Director Fury, who created records for the two, who became Sorcha and Conri MacClaren.

Fifteen years passed, and Sorcha and Conri formed a team that they called the Truth-Seekers. Ghost, an Atlantean hybrid and member of the Truth-Seeker, had a habit of appearing in front of the team member she wished to spar, and say, "Me. You. Gym. Now."

The day she popped up in front of Sorcha was no different. However, when Sorcha arrived in the gym, she saw Ghost moving a staff from hand to hand.

"Hey, Ghost. Staffs today?" Sorcha questioned, and her friend nodded.

"Is that yours?" Sorcha continued, and the bouncing stopped.

"Ah, no. I was just given it. Besides, it's actually a bit heavy for me." The Atlantean admitted.

"But, as you are stronger than me," she continued, and then paused and threw the staff at the other girl with a simple, "Catch."

The staff would have hit the red- haired girl in the head, but as Ghost had a habit of throwing weapons at them, the Truth-Seekers were all highly skilled at ducking, and catching whatever was just thrown. This time, however, when Sorcha's hands closed on the staff, a blinding burst of light appeared around her, and rapidly spread out until the entire room was covered in light.

Once Ghost was able to see again, she saw that her team-mate had vanished, and in her place stood a figure wrapped in an emerald cloak were Sorcha had been.

"Who are you?!" the Atlantean demanded as she moved into a defensive crouch, staff at the ready. The figure pushed back their hood to reveal dark red hair, curlier than Sorcha's, and sapphire eyes sparkling with mirth. Ghost estimated her to be about nineteen years old.

"Don't be frightened, Ghost."

"Who are you?" Ghost repeated.

"You know who Ah am, or rather who ye knew me as."

"Sorcha? How?"

"Me staff, most likely. Where did ye find it?"

"I-"

"Ire! Wha' 'happened?" a Welsh accent interrupted, and the girl beamed.

"Thomas!" she called, and Ghost turned to see a young man with vibrant red hair strolling into the gym. Her jaw hit the ground when she realized that he resembled Conri. Without a word, he pulled the Irish or Scottish girl aside, and murmured, "_Baineann sé le bheith cúig bliana déag. Ní mór ag gach duine ar dóigh cuí marbh dúinn._"

"_Cúig bliana déag._"

"B_a chóir dúinn glaoch Sasana, Éire._"

The girl was silent, and the boy pushed on.

"_Tá sé níos fearr ná mar a ghlaoch Albain, Éire._"

The girl shivered, and finally murmured, "_Call Sasana._"

The boy pulled out a phone, and began to dial a number. After a minute, he began speaking again.

"_Dia duit, Sasana. Tá sé dom._"

Suddenly, he yanked the phone away from his ear, and grumbled, "No need to yell, Arthur!"

When the yelling subsided, the young man put the phone back to his ear, and resumed speaking in Gaelic.

"_Níl mé i Meiriceá! Dea Thiarna, Sasana!_"

When the young man finished his call, he turned to the young woman, who looked slightly nervous, and sighed, "He's bringing _Albain _and some of the others over."

"Excuse me." Ghost called, and the two looked at her.

"Who are you two?"

"We will explain. Just not now. In fact, could you assemble the Avengers for us?"

Only minutes later, JARVIS announced that a group of people were in the lobby. The girl paused her pacing long enough to tell him to bring them up, and then continued her pacing. When the elevator doors dinged open, the Avengers saw a group of eleven males; based on their clothes, they guessed them to be English, French, Russian, German, Scottish, two Americans, two Italians, and two that were either Japanese or Chinese respectively.

"Couldn't I have walked? I had to ride with _him_!" one of the Americans complained, jerking a finger at the Russian.

"Shut up, you bloody git!" the Englishman snapped in reply.

"Um… are they always like this?" Steve asked after a few minutes of watching the group bickering.

"Aye."

When the girl spoke, everything stopped. The Frenchman and Englishman had each other by the collar, and one of the Americans was arguing with the Russian.

"Treasa."

"Arthur. Francis. Let go of each other. You two look ridiculous. Alfred, stop arguing with Ivan. He is _not _a Communist, so stop calling him one!" Treasa scolded, and the Englishman, Arthur, snapped, "We have spent the past FIFTEEN years looking for _you_, Treasa! I would expect something like this from America, but you? I never thought one of my previous territories would do this to me!"

"Wait. Stop," ordered Clint, "What do you mean 'previous territories'? 'America?' None of this is making any sense!"

"You didn't explain any of this to them?" demanded the German.

"Ah, no. No, I didn't. Why?" Treasa inquired.

"Because," Ghost called, "My team-mate and her brother disappeared and got replaced by you two. Now, I think we've been more than reasonable by not attacking you, but we do need answers.

"Fine," Thomas sighed.

"But, it will sound… insane. You see, the nations you live in are personified. We are some of those personifications."

"Considering some we've seen and done," Ghost began, but was cut off by an argument brewing.

"Ah thought Ah wanted to learn the truth." Treasa interrupted, but Arthur continued as if she hadn't spoken.

"No note, no nothing! We," Arthur gestured to himself and the Scotsman, "were worried sick!"

"I understand, _Sasana_."

"No, you don't! _Albain_, Man, Patrick and I searched for you with our magic!"

"Ah'm sor sorry about all o' this. We should be going." The Scotsman announced, glaring at the bickering siblings.

"Before you go, I have one question: what nations are you?"

"I'm North Italy, and my_ fratello_- brother- is South Italy!"

"I am Germany."

"Japan."

"China, aru."

Bonjour. I am France."

"I am Russia. Become one with Mother Russia, da?"

"No way! They're MY heros, dude! Anyway, I'm America!"

"I'm Canada, eh."

"I'm Scotland."

"Wales."

"Ireland. The independent portion, that is."

"England."

"I call sexual tension between those two!" Tony declared, pointing at France and England. Steve started choking, and Bucky began panicking.

"I'm fine. Really," gasped the super soldier.

"Well, we really should leave." Treasa stated, and began herding the other nations out.

"Hang on. Will we see you all again?"

"We're nations. We'll always exist. So yes. You will see us again."

When the nations left, the Avengers and Truth-Seekers sat in stunned silence. A few days later, a note appeared in Tony's lab that simply read '_Avengers, keep up the good work. And save our rooms for us, will you?_'

"Those sons-of-bitches." Laughed Tony.

"Hmm?"

"They got this in here, without my knowledge. And Ireland and Wales want their rooms back."

"Of course they do."

"Well, no matter. Onward to SCIENCE, Brucie!"

Outside, a small yellow bird chirped, and flew away.


End file.
